Member Reviews
Thank you to NetGalley for the audio arc of this novel!
Firstly, the audio production and narrator were incredible for this audiobook. They did a great job!
Secondly, I was thoroughly entertained, creeped out, and in love with all the workings of this story. Starling House is such an interesting house & setting. The atmosphere is beautiful. And the characters are relatable. I really enjoyed the fantasy elements interwoven with the harsh reality of being human. Definitely recommend!
What a great audio of this book! I really liked the house and the spooky vibes, great for a fall read. I liked the gray characters, but the end felt to rushed like a drop off.
This book had plenty of potential - gothic house, cursed family, strange deaths, the vibes are on point and it has nice writing! For me, the pace of this book was much too slow and I wish things had more space to breathe/were more fleshed out. There was a lot going on and yet I felt like so many things were left unexplored. Ultimately, great ideas but the execution left a bit to be desired for me. That is not to say that I didn't enjoy it - this is a great spooky season read and honestly, I'm in love with the house itself... It has such character! I just think this book didn't reach its full potential. I listened to this as an audio and enjoyed the narration!
Rating: 3.5 stars/5
Thank you to MacMillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC. All opinions are my own.
I want to love fantasy/magical books. I want that so much!! Especially each year in the fall. Unfortunately it just isn’t for me and I decided to DNF. However it’s very much about the wrong reader and not about the book.
Thank you Macmillan Audio for granting me access to Starling House by Alix E. Harrow.
This is quite the dark, atmospheric fantasy with strong Southern Gothic vibes. Opal, a tough young woman stuck in a dead-end life takes a job as the caretaker of a creepy old mansion in a run-down town. The house itself is mysterious and alive in ways she doesn't expect, and it's tied to the strange history and secrets of the town.
The book really hit the mark for me in terms of the moody, eerie atmosphere, and the house feels like a character on its own. Opal is a relatable and gritty protagonist, and as she uncovers more about the house and its owner, Arthur, you get pulled deeper into the mystery.
My issue is the pacing can feel a bit slow at times, but the suspense and emotional weight make it worth it. If you're into gothic mysteries and stories with haunted houses and dark secrets, this one's definitely for you. The narration was on point for this book. The pacing issues were truly a writing style complaint for me.
I so enjoyed this grim read! I wasn't planning on this being the first book of Alix E. Harrow's that I actually read - I own the other two and haven't read them yet, like a weirdo - but this came up for a book club and seemed like the perfect start to get me into the autumnal mood! Spooky, gothic, the house is a character - everything up my alley. Harrow takes a mirror to the underbelly of a town very well. I had a little bit of sighing over some stereotypical characterization but I loved the house and vibes so much that I really didn't mind.
Beautiful and perfect. This one was written for me.
I absolutely adored this story and the audio version was both eerie and beautiful. My only complaint is that it was simply too short - I wanted more story.
The haunting peculiarities of a dying town and the famously uncanny Starling House simply sound better from Natalie Naudus. The famously reclusive 19th-century children’s book author E. Starling disappeared from Eden, Kentucky, and the town has not been right since. The last heir, Arthur Starling, is just as mysterious as his family line, but Opal cannot say no to a job offer that can get her brother out of their motel room and into a private boarding school where the town’s smoke won’t irritate his health. As Opal returns to clean the house daily, things get stranger. So strange that Arthur is forced to disclose a terrible truth about what really haunts the Starlings. Opal must confront Arthur’s demons with him if they both want to make it out of Starling House alive.
Wonderful dark gothic story. Starling house is a harrowing journey from start to finish. Interesting fantasy story.
I liked this book, though it definitely wasn't what I was expecting. I was thinking it would be a straight gothic horror, and while that is definitely present, it's not all that's there genre-wise. It did still have a spooky house, I just with we got MORE of the spooky house.
Overall this was an enjoyable read, and I do recommend it to fans of the genre.
First of all, I thought the narrator was great! I just didn't love the story that much. It didn't really pick up until around halfway through, and the ending felt very rushed.
I do think it's a great read for those who aren't normally into the spooky or horror genre as kind of a "light spooky" book, but for big fans of the genre, I think they will be underwhelmed.
Not gonna lie I was very worried about reading this book because I haven’t seen very many good reviews of it but the story intrigued me so I decided to read it anyway. There have been plenty of times where a book I wanted to read wasn’t well received and I loved it anyway and I was hoping that this would be one of those cases. I’m happy to report it very much was so.
I really liked the main characters. Opal was spunky and wild and loyal and smart. I loved her and her relationship with the rest of the cast of the book, especially with her brother. Arthur was tragic and mysterious and I really liked reading from his perspective. I really felt for him over the course of the book and I liked how much his character developed over the course of the story.
I loved the side characters, especially the house funnily enough. And the main villain was just the absolute worst in the best way.
The storyline was super intriguing and pulled me in from the very start. I was just obsessed with this from start to finish.
Some of the content of this can be very triggering and it gets very bloody/gory at points so I recommended looking up trigger warnings before you read this if some content can be upsetting for you.
Overall I greatly enjoyed this and recommend it for horror fans. I haven’t read any of the authors previous work but I’m looking forward to reading more from them after finishing this.
3.5/5 Stars
Opal lives in the town of Eden, Kentucky known for the home of the reclusive E. Starling, a 19th century author and illustrator of 'The Underland', who mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind her estate Starling House. Opal spends her days caring for her younger brother, after the unexpected death of her mother. She feels drawn to Starling house, and ends up getting a job as a house keeper from the latest heir to the estate, Arthur Starling. As she begins working there, she begins uncovering the secrets behind these closed doors.
This book started off very slow, as we're learning the history of the house, but it did pick up around the mid-way point. I can't say I particularly cared for the history aspect, and was bored at times, but once the story picked up I was pretty invested in where it was going. I was not a fan of the footnotes, and definitely wish they had been left out. The story also features a slow burn romance, which I enjoyed as it didn't overshadow the story. I think that Opal and Arthur balanced each other out nicely. Opal was an unlikeable main character, she was supposed to be in her late 20's but acted more like she was 17. Arthur's POV was great to read from, and I liked learning more about him as the story progressed. I really liked how the house felt like its own being, and I loved the concept of the beasts that came from the house.
I do think this would be a great Fall, atmospheric read around Halloween!
I had no idea what to expect when I started reading and listening to Starling House, but I was excited to switch things up with a gothic fantasy.
Set in rural small town Kentucky, the story follows Opal, who is a caretaker to her brother, and gets a job to work at the Starling House, a creepy house with a mysterious past. I really enjoyed the house itself and felt like it was one of the best characters.
The audio was enjoyable, narrated by Natalie Naudus. I found her engaging and pulled me even more into this gothic and unsettling story.
*many thanks to Tor, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to work in a mysterious house that the whole town is scared of? Opal is in need of money and is fascinated by all the tales told about the Starling house. This is her opportunity to learn more about the house, while also making money to give her younger brother a better life. What could possibly go wrong?
the way i absolutely loved this book! it has a sentient house, a scrappy snarky fmc and a lot of heart. i loved the story telling, (though i could have done without the footnotes) i also loved the narration but thats partially because im biased and natalie naudus is my favorite. if you loved a study in drowning by ava reid you will absolutely love this book.
Lordy. I almost DNF'd this. This is so horribly boring. NONE of the main characters are likable. Opal is just whiney and not a likable character. Arthur is just as bad and they have zero chemistry. I couldn't have cared less if they got together or not. The only likable person in this story was Jasper, and he wasn't in it much. He at least had some sense.
There are these long, long monologues that the characters give. There are stretches of the story where nothing happens. It just goes on and on and on. It took me forever to listen to this.
I do like this audiobook narrator though. She also did the Bone Shard War and I like her voice.
I almost gave it one star, but decided to give it two because the story had potential. I kept going just to see if there was a twist or something that would make me like it more but no. It just got worse and worse. The writing is terrible. There are these ridiculous similes throughout. I also hated that she kept calling Arthur ugly. Like, ok, we get it, he's not handsome but really? You've got an MMC that's "ugly"? Why?
I received a free copy of this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTLfnhCRt/
This review is way overdue…Starling House by Alix E. Harrow was one of my favorite reads of last year.
It’s a modern gothic fantasy novel taking place in rural Kentucky with Opal our main character just wanting a way out of this run down town that seems determined to keep her there.
In the town, like many small towns there’s that one spooky house, in this case it’s the infamous Starling House with its reclusive heir lurking in its shadows.
Opal knows better than to go near the house and the brooding Arthur Starling but sees working there as the only way to get enough cash to get her and her brother out of there.
Somehow despite her best efforts Starling House starts to feel like home, but it’s past is catching up with it and forces seem contrived to destroy it.
This was my first Harrow book and I immediately picked up 10,000 doors afterwards because the prose is so damn good. I’ll read the rest of her back catalog eventually.
This book has a lot of my favorite things from engaging characters, a mysterious plot, rich history in worldbuilding, and a setting that feels alive.
I will admit that the pacing was a little up and down and the romance subplot was weak, but I think the atmosphere, vibes, and positivity the hell cat make up for it. Still a five star in my book.
In the end this is a story of self-discovery and acceptance. Asking the question of what is a home.
Natalie Naudus does a fantastic job narrating this book, she really pulled me into the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book early. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. In fact I went ahead and bought a physical copy too 😊
“Starling House” was quite a ride! I loved that the main character was quirky, and different. She was not the traditional “beautiful” MC but rather an interesting and multidimensional character. I loved the development between the two of them. The house in itself was a great character with an inherent magic that helped bring the story to life. It was very atmospheric and fun to read!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.